


Bruises

by hockeylvr59 (gleefanatic)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:50:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefanatic/pseuds/hockeylvr59
Relationships: Mat Barzal/Reader
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Your fingers were numb, arms covered in goosebumps as you attempted to navigate through the Long Island streets through the tears in your eyes. Streetlights illuminated the darkening bruise on your wrist and your side throbbed if you even moved a fraction of an inch when looking over your shoulder to change lanes or when you took a turn a little faster than you would have liked.

Your car was just starting to warm from the frigid temperatures when you turned into a long driveway and shifted the car into park after coming to a stop. Leaving the keys in the ignition for a moment you let out a few sobs, cursing softly at the pain that coursed through your body as you did.

Having calmed down a little bit, though you couldn’t stop yourself from crying completely, you turned the car off and grabbed your phone, slipping out of the vehicle to slowly stagger to the front door of the house in front of you. After ringing the doorbell, you found yourself rubbing at your arms to try and keep the circulation going as the bitter New York winter pricked at your skin.

There were lights on in the house, but at the same time, you were worried that its occupants had gone to the game tonight and you were standing here in vain. Lost in thought about what you were possibly going to do if that were the case, you missed the door in front of you opening until you heard a gasp as the woman inside reached to pull you in out of the cold.

The heat from the house was a welcomed sensation and you found your body shaking as another set of sobs shook you causing your face to scrunch up in pain. You could feel the concern radiating off of Rebecca and though you were sure she had a million questions she simply gave you a moment to compose yourself.

“I…I know Mat isn’t allowed female company, but uh, I was hoping that you could make an exception tonight. I…I don’t know where else to go.”

“Of course y/n…” She murmured before whispering that she would be right back before she slipped down the hall. When she returned, she handed you a sweatshirt, a worried gaze looking over your wrist and arm, the worst of the damage hidden by your thin t-shirt. “Here, it’s one of Mat’s. I”m sure he won’t mind if you borrow it.”

Sliding the warm fabric over your body, you winced once more, pain radiating from your side. As you finished tugging the fabric down to your hips you looked over the breakfast bar into the kitchen and smiled sadly when there were painkillers and a small glass of water already placed in front of you.

“Do you drink tea?” She asked as she walked toward the stove to turn the kettle on.

“I prefer hot chocolate.” You replied, causing her to nod as she worked to prepare two mugs.

“We definitely have hot chocolate. Whatever it takes to help you warm up.” Nodding softly, you popped the medicine hoping that it would kick in sooner rather than later and help numb the physical aspects of your pain.

When there was a mug of hot chocolate placed in front of you, Rebecca finally asked what had happened.

“I honestly, I don’t really know. Nick came over for dinner and once we’d finished eating I went to turn the game on and he just snapped. He started screaming about how hockey shouldn’t be more important than him and I don’t even remember the rest of it.”

Pausing you sipped at your mug, letting the hot liquid warm you from within before attempting to continue.

“All I really remember is at first just trying to get him to calm the hell down, he’d never yelled at me like that before. I told him that he was being ridiculous, it was just a hockey game and at some point, he grabbed my wrist as he screamed at me. Then I tried to back off, get some space by going to my bedroom and he grabbed my arm, jerking me back to him.” Fresh tears were sliding down your cheeks as you tried to recount the situation to the best of your ability.

“He said something about Mat that was completely inappropriate but I don’t remember exactly what it was. I remember starting to yell back at him and that’s when he…that’s when he hit me.” Brushing your fingers lightly over your side you couldn’t help but wince again. You didn’t really want to know what your side looked like at this point because you were certain based on the pain that it wasn’t pretty.

“I tried to push him away once and he hit me again. It wasn’t until after the third blow that I was able to knee him in self-defense and in that moment he was down I just knew I had to get out of there. I grabbed my phone from the counter and then my keys and shoes from inside the door and I just ran. I didn’t stop until I was locked inside my car and had driven over a block away before pulling off to the side of the road.”

Rebecca didn’t say anything, choosing instead to let you speak but when it seemed like you had gotten through the worst of it she came around to your side and gently pulled you into a hug.

“It’s all going to be okay.” She assured you. “You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Thank you.” You breathed, drawing what strength you could from her. “I texted him from the car and told him that we were done and if he was there when I got back then I’d call the cops. I think I’m going to go to the police station in the morning and file a restraining order.” She murmured that that was a good idea and that if Mat didn’t volunteer to go with you, or if you would be more comfortable with a female there then she would absolutely keep you company.

Nodding you yawned, feeling the weight of everything finally hit you know that you were somewhere safe and though you knew you needed to call off work because there was no way you could handle a bunch of teenagers while unable to move, you really just wanted to lay down.

“Why don’t you head down to Mat’s room and try and get some rest,” Rebecca suggested. Thanking her once again you finished off your drink before gingerly taking the basement stairs and slipping into Mat’s room to slide into his bed. It smelled like him, a scent that was immediately comforting, and after struggling to get comfortable you started to drift off to sleep.

_____

Having been distracted from the game by your arrival, it wasn’t until you had headed downstairs that she checked in on the score to find that the game had ended about half an hour earlier. Reaching for her phone she texted her husband to call her when he got a moment and while she waited she proceeded to clean up the kitchen before switching loads of laundry.

When he called her, he mentioned that he was on his way home shortly and that Mat was going to go out with some of the guys. Immediately she told him that she needed him to get Mat home now. Telling him what had happened, she explained that she needed him to tell Mat but to do it in a way that he wouldn’t completely lose his cool but so that he would come home because she was honestly worried about you being alone too long with as much pain as you seemed to be in.

____

When Dennis had approached him a second time after the game and pulled him aside to tell him that he needed to come home instead of going out, Mat was confused.

“It’s y/n…she arrived at the house in just a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, she…she got into a fight with whatever his name is and Mat…he hit her.”

Seeing red, Mat nearly punched the wall, but thankfully was smart enough that instead he just crumpled down, worry etching his features.

“Let’s go…” He declared, quickly grabbing his things and heading toward the parking garage, not even murmuring an apology to the guys he was supposed to go out with. Letting Dennis drive because he wouldn’t be able to focus on the road himself, he mumbled curses in French.

“Rebecca said she’s down in your room, she was exhausted and went to rest,” Dennis explained while secretly wondering if there was something more going on between them than Mat had let on. Of course, he was worried about you as well, you’d come over for dinner a few times and he thought that you were a good influence on Mat but Mat honestly looked like he would kill the guy that had hurt you and it seemed a little extreme for people who claimed to be just friends.

“How bad is it?” He questioned, a look of fear on his face, visible even in the dim lighting.

“Rebecca said she had a nasty bruise on her wrist and upper arm. She was also wincing every time she moved but Rebecca didn’t get a good look at her torso. It was apparently three solid blows though before she was able to get away.”

The remainder of the ride was silent, and the moment the car came to a stop, Mat jumped out of the vehicle, speeding up the driveway and into the house. Seeing Rebecca in the kitchen he stopped and pulled her into a quick hug to thank her for taking care of you.

“Be gentle with her. She’s in quite a bit of pain.” She reminded him and after acknowledging her statement he quickly descended the stairs, pausing in the doorway to his room when he spotted you asleep.

As quietly as he could he worked to change from his suit into a pair of sweats before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from your face.

____

Feeling a warm touch jolted you awake and when your body jerked, you felt tears pool in your eyes as pain ripped through your side. Now conscious, you noticed Mat sitting next to you on his bed, fear and concern present on his features.

“Hey…” You whispered.

Though he wanted to curse and scream at the fact that someone had dared to touch you, instead Mat reached to flip on the light next to his bed, needing to see your injuries for himself.

He laced his fingers with your own, looking over the deep purple marks on your wrist before he helped you sit up a bit so that he could evaluate your arm. Clear as day were the echoes of fingers gripping tightly against your skin and Mat ran his free hand through his hair, an angry sigh leaving him.

“Goddamn, y/n. I want to kill him.” He declared.

“It’s over. We’re done.” You assured him. There was no way that you could ever trust a man that had hit you, there were no second chances. Especially because he exploded out of nowhere, there was absolutely no way anyone could even begin to justify his behavior.

“Good.” Mat stated, very gently pulling your body against his own as if he needed to prove to himself that you were here and safe. “Can I see your side?” He asked, fingers dipping under the bottom of his sweatshirt and gently tugging upward. Without responding, you raised your arms gingerly to let him remove the garment from your body. Left in just your t-shirt Mat simply lifted it enough to see your side, without exposing you. “Holy shit.” He breathed. The lightest of touches against your skin made you whimper and Mat’s eyes went wide.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t take you to the hospital?” He inquired. Needing professional care hadn’t even crossed your mind and maybe he had a point but you didn’t want to deal with this tonight, you wanted to forget it had happened until you needed to go to the police station in the morning.

“I’m fine. Please…” You requested, urging him not to push the situation and instead just let you try and rest again. “I just want to go to sleep and forget it ever happened. At least tonight.”

Mat didn’t look entirely convinced but eventually, he conceded, moving around to the other side of his bed so that he could slip in to join you, offering his arms out to hold you. Getting comfortable for a second time wasn’t the easiest thing in the world but laying on your good side with your head pressed into Mat’s shoulder you eventually drifted back off.

Mat, on the other hand, laid awake, unsure that he could sleep as continued worry for you ate at him. He hadn’t liked Nick from the start, selfishly, and now he wished that he had said something. Maybe if he had you wouldn’t be hurt.

“I failed at protecting you tonight but I swear that will never happen again.” He promised. With you wrapped in his arms while you slept, occasional whimpers of pain escaping you, Mat realized that all of this time he’d been in love with you but had been too big of a coward to say anything. That wasn’t going to happen this time, this time he was going to make sure that even if you didn’t feel the same way that no one else was ever going to hurt you again.


	2. Chapter 2

Around 4am you awoke again, the steady throbbing in your side having returned full force. Clearly, the medicine you’d taken had worn off. Gingerly sliding out of Mat’s bed, you attempted to stand, quickly throwing a hand over your mouth in an attempt to silence your cries of agony caused by the change in position. Grabbing your phone to use its screen as a mild flashlight you glanced back to Mat, thankful that he hadn’t woken. You’d caused enough trouble already and he needed a full night’s rest. 

Five minutes later you had managed to tiptoe the fifteen feet to the downstairs bathroom, quickly closing the door and flipping on the light to search for the pain medicine you hoped Mat kept there. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for your eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room and once they had you quickly spotted the bottle of extra strength ibuprofen. Taking two pills from the bottle, you popped them into your mouth before gathering a handful of water to help swallow. 

Since it was unlikely that you would be able to fall asleep until after the medicine kicked back in, you made your way to the couch, curling up and pulling a blanket over your lap before sending an email into the district office in order to call out sick for the day. Thankfully you were giving tests in a few of your classes, something a sub could easily administer for you and for the remaining classes you’d planned a lecture, something that you could replace with a documentary. Emailing another teacher that you were close to with a list of plans, you asked her to print it out to leave for the substitute. 

It wasn’t long after that when you heard footsteps and looking up saw Mat leaning against the door to his room looking at you with concern. 

“Are you okay?” He mumbled, his voice deep from sleep. 

“Fine Mat. Needed to call into work so they could get a sub and I took some more pain meds.” You assured him forcing as much of a smile as you could manage under the circumstances. 

“Come back to bed then…” He pleaded softly, stepping closer to you to offer a hand. 

“I might just stay here…” You whispered not wanting to concern him more with your inability to move with any sense of speed. His brows furrowed for a moment before he sighed and dropped down onto the couch next to you. Rubbing at his face he reached out to cup your cheek in his free hand. 

“I get that you don’t want to go to the hospital but please y/n…at least let me take you to our team doctor in the morning and let him check you out?” The way his thumb brushed against your skin as he stared at you, fear in his eyes made you shiver. “I know that if something was as bad as I’m thinking we’d know but I’m scared to death that you’re bleeding internally.” He admitted. 

Tears filled your eyes as you watched one of your best friends struggle with all of the drama you’d dropped into his lap. Shuffling across the couch the six inches between you and cringing all the while you nodded. 

“Fine…I’ll let you take me to the team doctor.” You agreed. “Then I need to go to the police station to file a restraining order.” 

“I won’t leave your side.” Mat swore, standing slowly before once again reaching for your hand so the two of you could go back to bed. 

“Go ahead, I’ll be behind you.” You urged him not wanting him to wait on your temporarily crippled self. When he refused to move, you bit your lip, trying to fight back the pain as you stood up again and attempted to take small steps forward. With a careful eye, Mat watched you for a minute before stepping to your good side and slipping an arm under your legs, slowly and gently lifting you into his arms. There was an initial wave of pain from being jostled, but it had faded for the most part before you even reached the bed, Mat setting you down just as carefully. 

“There you go gimpy.” He teased softly, crawling back into bed himself before wrapping his body around yours once again, pressing a soft kiss to your head. “Now try and get some more rest, it’s still ungodly early.” With his warm body surrounding you and his fingers tangled in your hair, you finally drifted back to sleep as the pain medicine kicked in, dulling your pain from a hard 8 to a 4 and a half. 

____

It was shortly after nine when your body stirred in the way that signaled you needed to get up and use the bathroom. Slowly easing yourself into a sitting position, you glanced over at the nightstand where your phone was and spotted a bottle of water and two more pain pills. Taking the pills and drinking half the bottle of water, you then slowly worked your way to the bathroom, returning to find a made bed with the sweatshirt you’d worn last night as well as a pair of drawstring sweats and an islanders t-shirt laid out on it. 

Evidently, Mat was a little ninja elf this morning as you hadn’t heard or seen him at all but clearly, he had been in and out of his room at least twice. 

The bruises on your wrist and arm didn’t look quite as bad as they had the night before as you glanced at yourself in the mirror. Your side, however, was a different story, having darkened to a deep blue almost black color. Changing clothes, you slowly made your way upstairs, finding Mat, Rebecca, and Dennis all sitting at the table eating breakfast. Thankfully the kids had already left for school so you didn’t have to worry about any prying questions. 

“How are you feeling?” Rebecca asked softly, standing up from the table with her now empty plate. “And what would you like for breakfast?” Before you could answer Mat was pulling out a chair for you to sit down next to him. 

“I’m hurting. My wrist and arm aren’t as bad but my side is another story.” You admitted, still feeling slightly ashamed for drawing all of them into your problems. 

“I’m taking her to see the team doc.” Mat added, jumping into the conversation. 

“As for breakfast, I’m not really hungry.” By the looks you were getting from everyone in the kitchen that wasn’t going to fly and so you sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “Just a bowl of cereal would be fine.” Holding up choices, you nodded at the box you’d prefer and shortly after, a bowl was being placed in front of you. As you ate, Mat and Dennis talked about the game from the night before and you let out a silent sigh of relief that the conversation was about anything but you. 

After finishing breakfast, Mat asked if you were ready to go, stating that he’d drive and you could come back for your car later. Murmuring that you just needed your phone and shoes, you nodded and like a flash, Mat was back with both items. With deft fingers he slid your phone into the pocket of the sweatshirt you were wearing before he knelt down to help slide your feet into your shoes, actually doing them up properly, something you hadn’t bothered with in your frantic rush last night. 

A large part of you felt guilty that he was having to take care of you, you were sure this was the last thing he needed to deal with today. At the same time though, you were relieved that you had someone you trusted completely to rely on because you weren’t certain that you could get through this on your own. 

With a gentle hand on your lower back, Mat helped you out to his car, easing you into the vehicle as tears pooled in your eyes from the pain. The moment Mat was settled into the driver’s seat, his hand found yours and he squeezed gently. While the physical pain was unbearable, the settling emotional pain was nearly as bad and you hadn’t even realized that you’d started crying until you heard Mat curse softly from beside you. 

“Please don’t cry.” He whispered, his hand squeezing around yours more firmly as he pulled up to a red light. “I don’t know if I can handle seeing you cry.” His words were barely audible and you whimpered as you tried to fight back the tears. 

“What did I do wrong?” You questioned softly, so unsure of how a relationship that seemed so solid had crumbled into violence so quickly. The second the question left your mouth Mat was pulling the car over into a parking lot so that he could focus his attention on you. 

“Nothing… you did nothing wrong.” He insisted, his tone one of pure disbelief that your actions could have caused this. “This is all on him…please know that.” When your own expression told him that you weren’t fully convinced, Mat sighed audibly, leaning closer to drop a kiss to your forehead. “I know you don’t believe me…but I need you to at least trust me.” He stated softly. 

“I do trust you.” You responded and if nothing else said in this car was true, that was. You wouldn’t have shown up at his door last night if you hadn’t trusted him. Of all of the people in your life, you had turned to him and though you weren’t 100% sure why you knew that had to mean something. 

“Alright.” Mat eventually breathed, brushing your tears away with his thumb before turning back to the wheel and pulling the car back onto the road to take you to the Isles practice facility to see their doctor. 

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, Mat’s thumb brushing back and forth over the back of your hand until he had parked in the player’s lot. “Don’t move.” Mat instructed and you were in enough pain still that you weren’t going to argue with him on that. After opening your passenger door, Mat leaned in to undo your seatbelt, ever so gently pulling it back across your body until it was hanging loosely behind you. Then he gently reached for your feet, swinging them out of the door before offering a hand to you. Standing back up made you feel like you were being stabbed, and you practically collapsed against his chest. With his hand on your good side, Mat supported your weight until the intense pain had waned and you were able to stand on your own. 

Slowly and gingerly, Mat helped you walk into the building, guiding you down empty hallways until you reached a set of rooms occupied by the team doctor and training staff. Waiting inside the room was a younger man with reddish hair, his nose in a medical file until he heard the sounds of your footsteps approaching. 

“Morning Doc. Thanks for doing this.” Mat stated, stepping away from you just enough to reach out and shake the doctor’s hand. “This is y/n….she’s too stubborn to go to the hospital so she’s in your hands this morning. Please take care of her.” His voice had started off teasing and confidant but by the end of his statement had dropped to one of pure worry and concern. 

“Of course Mat…my pleasure.” The doctor quickly responded, introducing himself to you as Dr. Brian. Now that you were here you were worried that you should have gone to the hospital because what if something was really wrong. Knowing your anxiety could be read differently you tried to force a pained smile onto your face. Seeing your expression made the Doctor’s lips furrow and he motioned for Mat to help you over to the exam table in the room. 

“So Mat didn’t really give me any details as to what had happened…can you fill me in?” Dr. Brian asked, voice gentle as if he sensed the need to approach this treatment gingerly. 

“Um…my ex…he…he hit me.” You finally managed to stutter out a response, blinking quickly to keep the tears from pooling in your eyes again. All of this made you feel so weak and you hated that because you knew that you were supposed to be stronger than this. Though your gaze was pointed downward, you were sure that Mat and the Dr. were exchanging looks above you. After settling you onto the exam table, Mat had taken a spot at your back, there to support you if necessary and to provide moral support. 

Sensing that you would be unable to speak, Mat once again provided a voice for you. 

“She’s got bruises on her wrist and upper arm from where he grabbed her trying to keep her from getting away but it’s her side that we’re really worried about. As you can tell she can barely move and he hit her three times on the left side of her abdomen.” Reaching for a pair of gloves, Dr. Brian nodded, a pensive look on his face. 

“Alright…can we get that sweatshirt off so I can get a better look?” He questioned. You nodded and started to reach for the edge of the sweatshirt only to be stopped by the feeling of Mat’s fingers at the hem. 

“Let me help.” He murmured, insistent on trying to prevent you from experiencing as much pain as he possibly could. With Mat tugging the sweatshirt over your head, all you had to do was gingerly lift your arms up, the bulky item of clothing now resting beside you on the table. 

Approaching the table, Dr. Brian first looked at your wrist and arm, checking them for signs of a sprain or spiral fracture. After a moment he appeared to be satisfied that they were only bruised when you were able to comply with his directions on moving and twisting them without much complaint. 

“Good. Now let’s get a look at that side. Mat, if you wanna just hold her shirt up out of the way for me.” Dr. Brian requested, moving around your body to take a good look at your side. Mat hadn’t seen the bruise since last night and the moment his eyes caught sight of your skin he gasped audibly. 

“Fuck y/n…” He choked, his voice suddenly moist like he was going to start crying himself. “I seriously wanna kill the bastard.” He added, his body tensing behind you while he attempted to keep your shirt out of the doctor’s way while preserving your modesty. Mat’s distress had your breathing becoming more unsteady by the moment and once more you cursed yourself for dragging him into this. 

“Take deep breaths for me y/n.” Dr. Brian murmured as he conducted a visual examination of your side. “And you too, Mat.” He added as an afterthought. Slowly you focused your attention on breathing, knowing that losing it would only make your side hurt worse than it currently did. 

“Mat. Help me lay her back gently. Y/N I want to make sure that you aren’t bleeding internally though I feel like we would know if you were by now. This is going to hurt though and I’m sorry.” It hurting was the understatement of the year as Dr. Brian pressed as gently as he could into your side while still feeling for what he needed to. The moment he had first pressed down once you were on your right hip you cried out in pain and both men surrounding you winced. Whimpers followed as Mat ran his fingers over your scalp. Even once Dr. Brian was done, the pain lingered and you weren’t certain you’d be able to move right away. With your eyes closed, you didn’t see Dr. Brian walk across the room before returning, an ice pack wrapped in a towel in his hand. 

“She’s gonna be fine Mat.” Dr. Brian insisted as he gently laid the cold pack over your bruised side. “I’m not feeling or seeing any signs of internal bleeding. Just relax here for a few minutes with the ice pack. I’ll write up a script for a few days of a slightly heavier dosage pain killer and then you can take her to get some rest.” You were honestly glad the doctor was addressing Mat and not you because you weren’t sure your brain was capable of processing anything right now. You must have zoned out because one moment Mat was right beside you and the next he was in the corner whispering softly with the doctor. 

“Mat…” You whispered. You felt silly that even having him this far away had you feeling so unsteady but it wasn’t a feeling you were strong enough to control right now. Glancing over at the sound of your voice, Mat quickly finished up the conversation before pulling a stool over to sit right in front of you. 

“Hey…it’s okay. I’m right here.” He insisted, his fingers lacing with your own. The look in his eyes was still filled with concern but compared to just a few minutes ago, they had softened and his expression helped put you at ease. “Doc is writing up a report for you to give to the police regarding your injuries…and either you’re staying with me tonight or I’m coming to stay with you because you shouldn’t be alone just yet. Doc insists that if anything changes…if the pain gets worse than it is…that we go to the hospital.” 

You wanted to express to Mat just how grateful you were to him for being here, for putting up with all of this but there didn’t seem to be words that would be enough. This had been arguably the worst 14 hours of your life and you didn’t know if you’d be able to get through it without him. 

By the time it was time to take the ice pack off of your side, Dr. Brian had finished his report and after making a quick copy for his records, he handed off the original to Mat for safekeeping. Your prescription was also tucked safely into Mat’s pocket along with a work excuse and after getting back into your sweatshirt with instructions to try and take it easy for a few days, Mat helped you back out to his car. After a quick stop at the pharmacy to drop off the script so that you could pick it up later, you headed to the police department. You really didn’t have any idea of how this whole process worked and you were scared. Scared that no one would believe you. Scared that you would be blamed for your own injuries. Scared that even a restraining order wouldn’t keep Nick away if he truly wanted to hurt you. 

Of course, merely filing a police report wasn’t enough. After taking your report the officer had told you that you needed to go down to family court and file a “family offense petition” in order to have a restraining order issued. As if telling your story once wasn’t enough, now you had to go do it all over again before waiting for a court date where there was a possibility that you’d have to fight it out with your ex over last night’s events. 

Through both the stop to the police station and the courthouse, Mat was a saint, physically holding you up when you needed him to and letting you sob into his shoulder soaking through his shirt. There were so many things that you needed to do just to make sure that Nick couldn’t hurt you again….though there was no promise that he would even follow a restraining order…and you were overwhelmed and confused at all of it. Mat insisted that everything was going to be fine and though you weren’t sure you believed him, he’d asked you to trust him earlier and so you were going to do your best to trust him now. 

By the time you left the courthouse with a date to see a judge for a preliminary hearing in a few days, you were absolutely exhausted even though it was only two in the afternoon. As you slid back into the car once again you looked up at Mat with sad eyes. 

“Can you take me home now?” You whispered. 

“Of course.” Mat responded. “Just let me call Marty…he only lives a few blocks from your place and he can provide some backup in case we need it.” The second his words processed you shook your head, teeth biting down onto your lower lip. 

“No…take me to your home please…” You whispered, not ready to go back to your own place yet. Today had been so emotionally exhausting that anything more was going to push you over the limit of what you could handle without completely falling apart. Mat quickly nodded in understanding and you felt his thumb brush against your cheek before he climbed back into the car himself. 

“Is there anything you want from your place though?” He asked softly. “I can get you settled back into bed and then run over to your place when I go out for your prescription…” Softly you murmured that you would love some clean underwear at least as well as your personal hygiene products and Mat squeezed your hand once more, silently assuring you that he would do whatever it took to make you comfortable again. 

Arriving back at the Seidenberg residence, Mat helped you from the car for what was hopefully the last time today. As the two of you walked inside, Danielle simply sent a weak smile your way, no one needing to even ask if it was okay if you stayed another night. 

By the time you reached Mat’s bedroom in the basement, you were completely exhausted and though your side was still throbbing, the second your head hit the pillows of Mat’s bed you were passed out, your body seeking an escape from the pain. 

___

You didn’t stir until you felt fingers brushing through your hair ever so gently. When your eyes opened to reveal Mat, you sent him as much of a smile as you could. It had been almost an hour and a half already from when you laid down and as you blinked away the sleepiness you realized that Mat had a glass of water, your prescription, and a string cheese in hand knowing that you hadn’t eaten since breakfast and would likely get sick if you took the strong medicine on a completely empty stomach. 

Sitting up as much as you could, you took each item from him in turn until they were all gone. Even though sleeping so much meant that you probably wouldn’t sleep tonight, your body still wanted nothing more than to roll back over and close your eyes. Sensing that you had no intention of getting up, Mat rounded the bed and slipped out of his own jeans before climbing in with you and wrapping you gently in his arms. 

Laying in silence until the medicine started to kick in making you groggy once more, you found yourself whispering softly as you drifted to sleep. 

“I don’t deserve you.” Your statement was met by Mat nuzzling his nose into your hair, his warm breath spreading over your cheeks. 

“You’ve got that the other way around.” He murmured back. “Plus…you don’t have to deserve me for me to love you…that’s not the way love works.” 

Though you were nearly asleep, you were awake enough to hear him and his words were certainly going to be a topic of conversation later. As if he knew a more conscious you would protest he continued. 

“I know today has been beyond shitty and that my timing is far from great but I need you to know that I love you, y/n and I will wait for however long it takes for you to feel the same way. And if you never do that’s okay too…but I need you to know that I will always be here for you. You deserve nothing but to be loved and adored and whether I get to do that as a friend or something more…I’m going to make sure that you know that every day from here on out. There is no bruise that I won’t be here to help heal.” 

Though it may take some time for both your physical and emotional bruises to heal, knowing that Mat was waiting…well, you couldn’t ask for anything more. 


End file.
